Mercy Corps Job Opportunity in Kampala, Uganda; Portfolio Director - Agriculture, Uganda

Job Title: Portfolio Director - Agriculture, Uganda
Job Location:  Kampala, Uganda
Employer: Mercy Corps
Project Name: Transforming the Economy through Climate Smart Agriculture (NU-TEC)
Funding Source: DFID
Tracking Code: 219243-927

About Mercy Corps:
Mercy Corps is an international nor for profit organization which has been operating in Uganda since 2006 and works to catalyze change makers within the Ugandan private sector, civil society and government to create economically dynamic, healthy and secure communities. Our works focus on building resilience and enable economic growth, improve opportunities to attain better health and nutrition, and improved governance and conflict management.  We implement programs in the northern districts of Pader, Kitgum, Agago, Lamwo, Kaabong, Abim and Kotido with funding from USAID, USDA, Walmart Foundation, SDC, DFID as well as other private donations. Mercy Corps’ programs in Kitgum currently focus on economic development, agriculture, financial services, and women’s empowerment.

About DFID NUTEC Project:
The DFID-funded Transforming the Economy through Climate Smart Agriculture (NU-TEC) aims to develop pro poor agricultural markets in Northern Uganda and promote inclusive growth. DFID has identified a set of market failures that are standing in the way of way of the effective functioning of the agricultural sector in Northern Uganda. These include input markets, land tenure issues, storage infrastructure; access to finance; rural transport and processing capacity. The programme intends to address these market failures by facilitating improvements in agricultural productivity and to encourage private sector investment in medium to large agribusiness through the application of a market systems development approach. The programme also places a strong focus on reforming the regulatory environment in Northern Uganda by promoting more effective regulation and application of quality grades and standards.

Job Overview:
The Portfolio Director will steer the strategic design for transforming rural markets in Northern Uganda through climate smart agriculture. Guided by a strategic vision and mission for the programme outcomes, he or she will oversee and manage a portfolio of programme interventions aiming to improve rural markets systems and decrease the negative impacts on smallholder farmers caused by changing weather patterns. In doing so, he/she will manage and oversee interventions within various agricultural market systems that are considered to have the most pro-poor growth potential for Northern Uganda.

The programme will focus in particular in the areas of access to agricultural inputs, access to finance, post-harvest handling, and rural transport. The Portfolio Director will as senior member of a management team ensure strategic design and implementation of proposed interventions, including providing oversight to the pilot interventions, development of results chains, making sure team members’ learning is constant and progressive and performance of market system teams is achieved. Strong private sector ethos is essential.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Strategy and Vision:

•     Formulate a vision for NU-TEC, and ensure market opportunities with clear potential for pro poor growth and promotion of climate-smart agriculture are identified;
•     Ensure the design of the portfolio of interventions complies within the programme’s wider strategy; and
•     Recognise opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.

2. Programme Management:

•     Leverage technical expertise in business analysis and agricultural market systems to oversee development of sector strategies in close collaboration with Mercy Corps and non-Mercy Corps teams and individuals, both within and outwith the NU-TEC programme;
•     Ensure effective and strategic implementation of sector strategies by supporting the intervention managers in brokering deals with private sector players and representative organisations;
•     Engage with government and civil society partners;
•     Cultivate “system” champions, and push knowledge flows and learning within the selected market systems;
•     Manage the development of intervention plans, activity plans, budgets, Scopes of Work (SoW) for external resources identified, and other necessary intervention management documents as needed;
•     Ensure that programme implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant programme guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan; and
•     Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.

3. Team Management:

•     Provide leadership and guidance to managers and officers in developing the theory of change and results chains guided by market systems development framework and which provide the management and results framework for sector strategies;
•     Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence;
•     Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback;
•     Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary; and
•     Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.

4. Finance & Compliance Management:

•     Ensure adherence and compliance to donor and Mercy Corps regulations; and
•     Input to scopes of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy.

5. Representation:

•     Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders where appropriate;
•     Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met; and
•     Support the preparation of material and presentations to promote the programme.

6. Security: 

•     Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership;
•     Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Job Requirements:

•     An MBA or equivalent Masters in Economics, Business Studies and Agribusiness
•     Ten or more years’ experience working in value chains or market development programmes (experience in Northern Uganda is a plus)
•     Good team management experience and experience in supervising staff
•     Prior experience in leading the development and managing programs in the field of private sector development
•     Demonstrated experience in market system analysis and research, design of sector strategies, and the ability to broker deals and partnerships with the private sector, high level government actors and representative associations
•     Good knowledge and understanding of the political economy of the Ugandan context, particularly in Northern Uganda
•     Possess the ability to formulate results chains and undertake participatory research with experience in the DCED standard a plus
•     Excellent computer skills (minimum of MS word, excel and power point)
•     Excellent report writing and presentation skills
•     Be a team player, creative, and full of energy

Deadline Date: 21/08/2014

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